Qualitative studies are associated with interviews, focus groups and
observations. We introduce experiments as a way of dealing with such studies. In
contrast to the common focus on how many respondents choose a particular
behaviour we focus on how much a design affect the individual. This is often
concerned with analysing the effect of a design. The approach is bottom up, in that
the inferences are concerned with each individual. This enables us to look at the
variation between people. We consider the common preference profile, defined as
that part of the individual preference profiles which is shared by all individuals. A
variation seen by the individual means that the message is received with its
complexity and meaningfulness, while a big ideosyncratic variations means people
understand different things and a Babylonian confusion is the outcome. Findings may
be generalized after the effect has been measured at an individual level.

Integration across departments, functions, and knowledge areas is important for success in the process of product innovation. Research of organizations, whether private or public, demonstrates, however, that cross functional integration is difficult to achieve in praxis. This problem area: Why is cross functional integration – in SMEs – in the process of product innovation so difficult in praxis? – sets up the foundation for this PhD. By focusing on cross functional integration in small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and by utilizing a qualitative research design in studies of the micro politics of cross functional integration, the PhD makes a novel contribution within an area of research largely overlooked by previous literatures....

This PhD thesis is an outcome of the author’s own reflections and efforts to come to terms with
his experience working as the National Project Coordinator of the Industrial Cluster
Development Program of an international donor agency in Pakistan, the IDA, for more than 8
years between 2001 and 2009. Thus, the author seeks to answer two interrelated questions in this
thesis:
a) How did the IDA interventions affect SME networks in the Lahore garments and Sialkot
football clusters in Pakistan?
b) Why did the IDA-supported SME networks in these clusters continue or discontinue after
the IDA withdrew from both clusters?
In this thesis, it is argued that a very limited number of empirical studies have addressed the
subject of private sector development aid in industrial clusters in developing countries. In
particular, very few studies aim at studying the sustainability of donor-financed interventions in
industrial clusters in the Global South. Two articles in the thesis are dedicated to extending the
very limited existing work on this topic. Both articles – the first on the Lahore garments cluster
and the second on the Sialkot football manufacturing cluster in Pakistan – seek to analyze how
the IDA’s interventions affected the long-term sustainability of SME networks present in both
clusters. In the case of the Lahore garments cluster, the IDA supported two networks in the
cluster. One was known as the Lahore Garments Consortium and the other was named the
Lahore Fashion Apparel Network. Both IDA financed networks initially seemed to flourish as
they engaged in information sharing and joint action initiatives such as the joint procurement of
raw materials for their production units. In the final analysis, it turned out however that the
Lahore Garments Consortium continued to function long after the IDA had discontinued its
support to the cluster whereas the Lahore Fashion Apparel Network was terminated after a very
brief period in existence.

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In recent years, we have witnessed multinational enterprises (MNEs) changing strategies to exploit opportunities for division of labor on a global scale (Hansen et al. 2009). In consequence these have received growing interest among researchers and governments as ‘agents of host country economic development’ (Scott-Kennel and Enderwick 2005, p.105). A general consensus of this research is that ‘FDI [Foreign Direct Investment] offers an additional channel for introduction of technology, innovation, new ideas, different organizational practices and new skills to a host country’ (Scott-Kennel and Enderwick 2005, p.112). Another consensus is that these knowledge resources were introduced into the host country through linkages between the MNEs and a local firm and would in the longer term diffuse to other firms through e.g. demonstration effects and labor turnover (Giroud and Scott-Kennel 2009)....

The maturing of Web 2.0 infrastructure fosters the
rapid generation and dissemination of electronic wordof-
mouth (e-WOM). The abundance of e-WOM allows
online service providers to facilitate consumers’ trust
building. However, due to the often coexistence of two
forms of e-WOM, namely numerical rating and
opinionated review, consumers can perceive cognitive
dissonance between the former and the latter. This
cognitive dissonance can hinder the formation of
consumers’ trust and compel them to resolve the
conflict. Guided by confirmation bias theory, we
propose that, to maintain trusting beliefs when
experiencing dissonance in e-WOM, male consumers
value opinionated review over numerical rating and
vice versa for their female counterparts. The results of
our field survey on a custom developed website with
115 college students empirically validated our
hypothesized relationships and also unveiled male’s
general bias towards opinionated review. Our findings
can contribute to both research and practice.

Multi-business firms should design the task portfolio of their headquarters (HQ) and the way
HQ tasks are carried out so that net value creation results. While the strategic management
literature has emphasized such parenting benefits, less attention has been paid to the costs that
may inadvertently be caused by HQ actions. Using a simple game theory model, we analyze
the motivational costs that may result from HQ intervention in subunits. Along the lines of the
procedural justice literature, we identify the conditions under which these costs may be
influenced by the existence of fairness expectations among subunit managers. Our analysis of
the dynamic game between HQ and subunits has novel and non-intuitive results. For example,
we find that good parenting may involve forgoing opportunities for value-creation, and that
procedural justice systems may sometimes be counterproductive. Our findings contribute to
both the HQ and the procedural justice literatures.

A system can be customized by is owner. The fundamental premise behind designing for customization is that it improves the user experience (UX) of the system. In this study, we contend that the effects of customization on UX of a smartphone can be theoretically modelled as users’ beliefs about the system object (customization) that influence their attitudes towards the system object (perceived system usability), which in turn shapes their beliefs (flow) and attitudes (engagement) towards using the system. We tested this proposition via an experimental study with 50 college students as participants. Each participant was asked to perform customization tasks on a smartphone, and then instructed to complete a comparison task aimed at contrasting customized user interface with a standard one. Our manipulation checks confirmed that the customization task, in particular, the customization of the layout was more pronounced for participants. Analytical results from the comparison reveal that customization positively influence users’ evaluation of three key constructs of UX: perceived system usability,
flow and engagement, and that the feeling of engagement is mediated through perceived system usability and flow. We conclude with a discussion of the impact of customization on UX, and whether the distinction between object- and behaviour-based beliefs and attitudes is helpful.

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In terms of dress and fashion Denmark is an example of a West European
peripheral country within the international fashion system. Since the Middle
Ages, new fashions have found their way to Denmark through the
internationally oriented royal family, the purchases of well-traveled citizens,
various international and national fashion reports, and the international
purchases by local retailers. With varying speed new cuts, colors and styles
have impressed themselves upon both the everyday and festive fashions of the
Danish wardrobe. The same foreign influence applies to local fashion
production. Design, craftsmanship and technology has through time been
shaped under influences from abroad. But these international influences have
not undermined the recurring idea of a particular Danish dress and fashion
culture. In the middle of the 19th century the prevailing view was that the
peasants’ festive dress represented specific national dress. By the beginning of
the 21st century discussions in the Danish fashion industry and industry policy
concern Denmark’s status as a fashion nation and Copenhagen as a possible
new global fashion center. This is due to the growing Danish fashion culture,
the textile and clothing industry’s export success, and not least the fact that
Denmark is a world-leading fur exporter.

In the public sector, we find that traditional face-to-face interaction has, in many
cases, been replaced by online communication and transactions during the last
decade. The quality of public sector websites is, therefore, of particular importance
in order to ensure quality participation in an increasingly digital society by all the
citizens. In view of the fact that Norway and Denmark aim to be world leaders of
the Web, with regard to innovations, technical standards and user-centred
development, easily accessible facilitation for high quality interactions assumes
considerable significance. With reference to this particular aspect, the following
Ph.D. thesis focusses on perceptions and measurement of website quality and
success, by emphasising and highlighting the performance of public sector
websites in the Scandinavian countries (respectively Norway and Denmark).
This thesis draws on both qualitative and quantitative data collected during the
research process. A grounded theory approach is applied in order to investigate
explanations of website quality and statistical analysis is performed to examine
perceptions of quality and success in websites. In this regard, the webmasters’
perspectives are emphasised, as they are found to be pivotal figures and key
contributors in website quality improvements. Website quality criteria, obligated
by the central governments are also discussed. These criteria aim to minimise a
gap between the governments and the citizens for provision of online information
and digital services.
The findings and explanations of website quality cover a variety of features and
range from technical standards to a broad definition of usability. Pertaining to this
fact, added emphasis is placed on actual usage and subjective issues concerning
user-friendliness and ease of use, compared to the criteria implemented by the governments, which focus more on objective technical measures. This may
explain why users are not actually satisfied with high quality websites, when
compared to low quality websites, in an annual assessment of hundreds of public
websites based on these criteria. Accordingly, explanations and measurements of
quality within the public sector are perceived differently, when taking into account
the citizens’ (users’) needs and requirements from websites. Based on the use of
quality criteria and evaluation methods applied to such evaluations, there exists a
potential argument for adopting an additional user-centred focus.
Furthermore, user satisfaction is emphasised as a measure of success in websites
and user-centred development is found to be a key contributor. In view of this fact,
the findings also prove that the public sector in general should improve and extend
their feedback channels, by extending frequency and methods applied in user
testing and continuous quality improvements. The fact that government bodies
perform testing to a minimal extent and that more sophisticated methods should be
included, demonstrates a potential for advances in facilitation for improved and
refined user experiences in online communication between citizens and the public
sector. In this regard, organisations which perform user testing tend to see a
stronger correlation between website quality, user satisfaction and net (user)
benefits.
The concluding observations in the thesis, suggest that further research can
decrease a gap between the governments’ perceptions of quality, and the citizens’
needs and requirements from public websites. Future investments and quality
improvements should devote increased attention to testing and issues concerning
inclusion of real users, and the benefits of such actions. Implications for practice
are also provided in order to move the sector forward and facilitation for improved
and refined user experiences and success on the Web.

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On the Operational Dynamics and Social Dimensions of Public-Private Partnerships

Weihe, Guri(København, 2006)

[Flere oplysninger]

[Færre oplysninger]

Resume:

Drawing upon extant alliance literature, this article substantiates the argument that we need to look beyond mere structural and formative aspects of cooperation in order to fully understand the performance antecedents of public-private partnerships. Currently, scholarly work on operational processes and behavioural dimensions is practically non-existent. This article tries to remedy the current gap in the literature by reviewing research findings on interfirm collaboration (alliances). On that basis a conceptual framework for analyzing partnership processes is developed. Finally, the antecedents of collaborative advantage are theoretically examined, and the organizational competences contributing to collaborative success are identified. The conclusion is that operational processes and social dynamics are vital drivers of collaborative advantage. Another significant conclusion is that public management research can benefit from drawing upon existing alliance research. Alliance scholars have during the past couple of decades accumulated an impressive amount of knowledge on different aspects of inter-firm cooperation, and therefore the learning potential for public management scholars seems to be quite enormous.

Servitization, or adding services to the manufactured
product, has become a strategy for
increasing financial margins, getting closer to
the customer and prolonging product lives. This
is especially applicable to Western hemisphere
companies in their efforts to compete with companies
from low cost countries and emerging
economies.
It is our hope that this booklet can assist managers
to analyze and plan a servitization strategy.
The text is brief and comprehensive to supplement
a workshop, but can also be used separately
as a quick guide on steps to follow for a manager
when considering servitization for the company.
This booklet is produced to serve as a documentation
of a research project together with industry
on how servitization can be a strategy to enhance
the competitiveness of manufacturing firms.

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DTAG is a versatile annotation tool that
supports manual and semi-automatic annotation
of a wide range of linguistic phenomena,
including the annotation of syntax,
discourse, coreference, morphology,
and word alignments. It includes commands
for editing general labeled graphs
and graph alignments, comparing annotations,
managing annotation tasks, and interfacing
with a revision control system.
Its visualization component can display
graphs and alignments for entire texts in a
compact format, with a highly flexible and
configurable formatting scheme. It also
provides a powerful search-replace mechanism
with queries based on full first-order
logic, which can be used to search for
linguistic constructions and automatically
apply graph transformations to collections
of annotated graphs.

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The most popular models of decision making use a single criteria to evaluate
projects or lotteries. However, decision makers may actually consider multiple
criteria when evaluating projects. We consider a dual criteria model from psychology.
This model integrates the familiar tradeoffs between risk and utility that economists
traditionally assume, allowance for rank-dependent decision weights, and
consideration of income thresholds. We examine the issues involved in full
maximum likelihood estimation of the model using observed choice data. We
propose a general method for integrating the multiple criteria, using the logic of
mixture models, which we believe is attractive from a decision-theoretic and
statistical perspective. The model is applied to observed choices from a major natural
experiment involving intrinsically dynamic choices over highly skewed outcomes.
The evidence points to the clear role that income thresholds play in such decision
making, but does not rule out a role for tradeoffs between risk and utility or
probability weighting.

Acquisitions of new businesses and divestments of existing ones are
frequently components of large organizations’ corporate strategies.
In both acquisitions and divestments, corporate IT infrastructure
plays a critical role for realizing business objectives. In this paper, we
take a dual view of the IT-related challenges in divestment and
acquisition strategies, studying them as a single integrated
transaction between a buyer and a seller and investigating how the
IT carve-out and IT integration strategies influence each other. The
extant literature on the interaction between carve-outs and
integration strategies is an empty set. Here, we begin to shed light to
the limitations of the carve-out contract, the processes of carving out
a business unit from one and integrating it into another multibusiness
organization, asymmetries in both parties’ preferences for
an IT transaction process and its influence on arising challenges and
organization performance.

The paper describes the formation of the Durban Auto Cluster in the context of trade liberalization. It argues that the improvement of operational competitiveness of firms in the cluster is prominently due to joint action. It tests this proposition by comparing the gains from cluster activities in the areas of supplier development, human resource development, logistics, and benchmarking, and by contrasting the impact of joint action against a host of other variables, notably international competition and technical assistance by foreign partners.

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We derive an explicit solution to the portfolio problem of a power utility investor
with preferences for wealth at a ¯nite investment horizon. The investor can invest
in assets with return dynamics described as part of a general multivariate model.
The modeling framework encompasses discrete-time VAR-models where some of
the state-variables (e.g. expected excess returns) may not be directly observable.
A realistic multivariate model is estimated and applied to analyze the portfolio
implications of investment horizon and return predictability when real interest rates
and expected excess returns on stock and bonds are not directly observed but must
be estimated as part of the problem faced by the investor. The solution exhibits
small variability in portfolio allocations over time compared to the case when excess
returns are assumed observable.
JEL Classification: G11
Keywords: Portfolio choice, predictability, VAR, unobserved state-variables, hedging demands

We consider a dynamic trade-off model of a firm’s capital structure with
debt renegotiation. Debt holders only accept restructuring offers from equity
holders backed by threats which are in the equity holders’ own interest to
execute. Our model shows that in a complete information model in which
taxes and bankruptcy costs are the only frictions, violations of the absolute
priority rule (APR) are typically optimal. The size of the bankruptcy costs
and the equity holders’ bargaining power affect the size of APR violations,
but they have only a minor impact on the choice of capital structure.